J Pat Carter/AP
- President Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani reportedly met with a controversial former Ukrainian diplomat in an effort to gather information on Trump’s political opponents.
- The Washington Post reported that Giuliani confirmed but wouldn’t elaborate on details about the newly revealed meeting.
- The report comes as the latest development in Giuliani’s efforts to gather information against politicians, particularly Democrats, from foreign sources ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
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President Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani met with a former Ukrainian diplomat , according to the Washington Post.
Giuliani confirmed to the paper that he met with Ukrainian Andrii Telizhenko, who the Post reported "made unproven claims that the Democratic National Committee worked with the Kiev government in 2016" to obtain damaging information on Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort.
"I can’t tell you a thing about the meeting," Giuliani told the Post. "When I have something to say, I’ll say it."
Telizhenko also confirmed with a brief comment, saying they "spoke on US-Ukraine relations and politics in DC and Ukraine."
The newly revealed meeting comes amid Giuliani’s recent efforts push investigations in Ukraine into matters including the DNC and former Vice President Joe Biden’s son Hunter, who served on the board of a Ukrainian gas producer while his father was in office.
Ukraine’s top prosecutor said there was no need for an investigation into Biden or his son, and the DNC has denied the claims.
Giuliani canceled a trip to Ukraine earlier this month, during which he had planned to meet with President-elect Volodymyr Zelensky, saying "the meeting would have accomplished little and may be in the hands of those who might misrepresent it."
Democrats have condemned Giuliani’s efforts, saying they were explicit efforts to help Trump politically and open the door to foreign influence in US politics.
"It’s stunning that the Trump administration is going down the same tragic path they did in 2016 seeking help from a foreign government again to influence an American presidential election. It’s appalling," Rep. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told the Associated Press.
He added that Trump allies were indicating they would "do everything short of what’s downright criminal. Ethics don’t matter. Patriotism doesn’t matter."
Giuliani has pushed back against the criticism, pointing to the investigations as justified ahead of next year’s election.
"Explain to me why Biden shouldn’t be investigated if his son got millions from a Russian loving crooked Ukrainian oligarch while He was VP and point man for Ukraine," Giuliani tweeted at Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, who criticized him. "Ukrainians are investigating and your fellow Dems are interfering. Election is 17 months away. Let’s answer it now."
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Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (Ellen Cranley)